Recovery
by Idan
Summary: Follow up to Repentance, so you'll want to read Redemption, Regret, and Repentance first (they go in that order). This is more or less AU at this point but started out based on spoilers for My Blue Heaven. "She'd been back in Sacramento for a week, and she already wanted to kill him."


**Disclaimer**: I'm not sure I even want Mr. Heller's version of Jane anymore. I like mine better! But alas, neither version legally belongs to me.

**Author's Note: **Sorry this took so long! It's been in my head forever, but I haven't had time to write this week. We all need some fluff after Red John, so this has some. Also some M-ish bits, to get us through My Blue Heaven. So be warned! And Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are observing it!

Lisbon stalked into the apartment, tempted to slam the door behind her. Fortunately for his neighbors, Jane caught it as he came in behind her, closing it gently.

"I'm sorry," he said again, which only irritated her more. Who would have believed the day would come when she'd get tired of Jane apologizing for pissing her off?

Or, for that matter, of Jane telling her every thought that popped into his head? He'd been right all those years ago: him telling her all his hunches did make her very annoyed. The problem was, she now realized, she'd always taken what he told her seriously because he only told her the things he was pretty sure about. Now that he was giving her the unedited feed, she found herself wasting time on silly theories she should know better than to entertain.

She'd been back in Sacramento for a week, and she already wanted to kill him.

Of course, that this case was taking a week to solve was part of the problem: Jane had been right when he'd told her he'd lost his mojo. Floundering was the nicest word she could think of for what he was doing. If he wasn't in such distress over it, she'd think he was stalling to keep her here. But if that was his goal, he wouldn't have let her go on that stupid wild goose chase that had resulted in them getting home too late to retrieve Bear from his doggy daycare.

No. Not home, she corrected herself. She didn't live here. She had a nice house and a nice life somewhere else, and she was going back to it as soon as Jane got his feet back under him.

"I'm really sorry about—" he began, but she'd had enough.

"Stop. Do not say one more word to me. I've had enough. Good night." She went to her room—no, dammit, the guest room—and closed the door firmly behind her. Then she sat on the bed and let her shoulders slump as she realized she'd just deprived herself of her goodnight kiss.

That was what pissed her off the most. Jane had said he loved her and practically dragged her down here to his apartment, but then he'd acted like a roommate rather than, as he'd put it, her declared suitor. It wasn't that he was a bad roommate; aside from an irritating tendency to put her things where he thought they belonged rather than where she'd left them, he was actually pretty easy to live with. And he was a great cook. And he never minded taking Bear out in the mornings, even in the rain.

But she didn't want a roommate. And those bone melting goodnight kisses Jane gave her were making her crazy, because they never went anywhere.

Still, she was sorry she'd passed up her chance of one tonight. She rubbed at her face and tried to calm down.

The soft knock on the door made her lurch to her feet like she was on strings. She quickly turned her back and shrugged out of her jacket, hoping he'd go away if he thought she was undressing. Well, truthfully she hoped he'd pitch in and help, but that seemed unlikely.

"See, Mr. Squeakyface? I told you she was still awake," Jane said in his talking-to-Bear voice. "I think she wants her goodnight kiss. What do you think?"

"Knock it off, Jane," she said wearily. "It's past midnight. We need to get some sleep."

"Yes, we do." Jane was still addressing Bear's squeaky toy. "Someone had a bad, bad day. First a meeting with Mr. Agent Grumpypuss Abbott, then a drive to the middle of nowhere and back and now no Bear. We miss Bear, don't we?"

"Jane, I swear to God I'll make you eat that thing," she threatened, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"And she's so tired she's forgotten she told me not to say one more word to her," Jane informed the toy, glancing at her hopefully.

"Fine. You can talk to me if you'll put down the goddamned squeaky toy and talk like a normal person," she sighed.

She reached up to unfasten her necklace, and a moment later Jane's fingers closed over hers, undoing the clasp nimbly. As she set the necklace on the nightstand, his hands moved to her shoulders, kneading gently. She gave in almost immediately—back rubs were another thing Jane was good at.

He said softly, "I promise I won't make us so late again. And I'll look for a house with a fenced in yard so Bear can stay home and we won't have to be without him."

"A house?" She turned around, nearly knocking him off balance. "How long do you think this case is going to take?"

"Not much longer, I hope," he replied, looking startled. "But I want you to stay. I told you that."

"As what, Jane? Because I'm not looking for a roommate." She decided to lay her cards on the table.

"As—as whatever you call two people our age who are dating." Now he looked nervous.

"Dating? How are we dating exactly? We work. We come home and eat dinner. We sleep in separate rooms. We aren't dating. We're like an old married couple who stay together out of inertia!"

"We kiss," he protested.

"Once a day like clockwork," she scoffed.

"Okay, then you can be in charge of the kissing schedule," he retorted. "I'm happy to pucker up on demand."

"What about sex?" she demanded. "You know, that thing dating couples do."

"That—" He broke off. "I'm not sure we're ready for that. You are still trying to forgive me so you can trust me again."

He was even more annoying when he was right, she decided. "And you?"

"I'm still trying to forgive myself so I can trust me again, too," he sighed.

She felt all the fight go out of her. Father Dowd had told her many times that forgiveness was a process, and not necessarily a linear one. But she really wanted to skip to the end and just be done with it. "Go to bed, Jane. It's late," she said wearily.

"But I want my goodnight kiss." He pouted at her irresistibly.

She pressed her lips against his, intending only a quick peck, but the moment she felt his mouth move under hers, she was lost. Kissing Jane was like the Fourth of July, all fireworks and excitement and not caring about anything but the moment. She didn't remember kissing being like this.

But then, she'd never kissed a man she felt so powerfully about before. Every kiss was laden with meaning because she'd been so convinced it would never happen, and deep down she was always aware that each one could be their last. Feeling like this was almost too good to be true.

Crap. He was right about that too. She was still trying to learn to trust him, afraid this was all going to crumble around her.

Jane pulled back, smiling gently at her. "Good night, Lisbon."

"Wait." It came out breathless rather than commanding, and a tiny smirk appeared before he smoothed it out. Which was part of the problem too. She swallowed and said, "Abbott called me in this morning because he wanted to know what your problem is. Apparently when Fischer got back from meeting you, she told him you were fine. Happy even."

Jane looked away, shrugging. "She doesn't know anything about me."

"That's what I told him. Nobody ever knows what you're thinking, and anybody who claims to is a fool." He'd certainly fooled her often enough.

"Except you," he said.

"No exceptions," she said firmly. "That being said, I told him my theory."

"You have theories about me, Lisbon?" He didn't quite achieve his old teasing tone.

"Oh, you have no idea. I could write a book." The idea had actually occurred to her, but in the end she'd decided it would only keep her mired in the past when she'd been determined to move on.

He grinned, and as far as she could tell, it was genuine. She hated to make it go away, but this needed to be said. "I told him you were feeling insecure. You think you've lost your touch, and you brought me down here to help you get it back, I guess because I know what it looks like. But you are so busy worrying about keeping me here that you can't focus. I'm part of the problem."

"No!" He reached for her shoulders with an expression of horror. "No, you're not. I need you here, Lisbon. You can't go yet—we haven't solved the case! You promised!"

"See? That's what I'm talking about. You act like the slightest little thing is going to make me head for the airport and never look back. Jane." She frowned at him, unhappy that she had to explain this. How could he not know? "You know...how much you mean to me."

"I know how much I used to mean to you," he corrected, his voice hoarse. "Years ago. Before I did what you'd always told me not to and had to leave you, never to return as far as either of us knew. How could you still love me after that?"

How could she help it? She'd never been able to control her unruly heart. "I haven't changed, Jane. You'd see that if you'd stop worrying for one second and really see me. Just look."

"I am looking," he whispered. "Your eyes are my favorite sight in the whole world. I could look at them forever."

She held his gaze. "You used to tell me I have honest eyes. That I could never lie to you. That you could see my every thought on my face." She drew a shaky breath, gathering her nerve. "So what am I thinking, Jane?"

He tried; she'd give him that. But a minute later, he shook his head, looking down at his shoes. "I can't. I've lost it."

"You haven't lost anything," she whispered. "You've just been lost and confused. But I know you. I see you, when you let me. Those are the moments I went over in my memory, Jane. The times when you were honest with me, when you let the mask drop. When you let me see you. And that's all I want. That's what I need from you. Just you being you." She swallowed down tears. "I'd never walk away from that. I never have."

"No, you haven't. You were never the one to walk away," he agreed, looking into her eyes again.

"Then what are you so worried about?" she asked. "Tell me, Jane. You can see what I'm thinking. I know you can."

After a long pause, he said, "You're thinking I'm the shell of a man you used to know."

"No, that's what you're thinking. And stop it, by the way."

"And you want to save me again." He looked a little surprised that he'd said it.

"Come on, Jane. Fischer could figure that out. Abbott certainly has. You can see deeper than that. So do it." Part of her couldn't believe she was actually urging him to get inside her head, but the rest of her was convinced this was the only way to get his self confidence back.

He winced as if in pain, and she was sorry for it, but at the same time grateful he wasn't trying to hide from her. His gaze never wavered.

"You're thinking..." His voice was so soft she could barely make out the words. "...that you still love me, despite everything."

"There," she said, trying to force her trembling lips into a smile, "was that so hard?"

He grabbed her into a fierce hug, fingers digging into her back as he pressed their bodies as close as he could. She could feel his breath hitch as he buried his face in her hair. It was a long time before he whispered, "I was afraid to look. Afraid I'd see that you didn't."

"You're an idiot," she said into his neck.

"Yes. I have been."

"Because you were afraid to read me, you haven't been able to read anybody else."

"Yeah. I think so," he sighed.

"So. Tomorrow we'll solve this miserable case. And right now we'll get some sleep," she said, trying to pull back. But Jane wouldn't let her.

"No," he said.

"No?" She suddenly became aware that their bodies were reacting to the close contact.

"No. You just admitted that you still love me. This is a moment that deserves commemoration."

Lisbon reminded herself that just a few minutes ago she'd wished Jane would stop walking on eggshells with her. Then his hand slid down her back to cup her ass, and she remembered wishing he'd make a move. It looked like she was about to get what she'd wished for.

Still, she wasn't going to let him have it all his own way. "What happened to waiting until we both trust you enough to have sex?"

He hesitated, and she had a sinking feeling until he said, "You told me to just be myself. And myself has been wanting to make love to you for a very long time."

She hid her grin against his shoulder. "Oh? How long?" She leaned back to see his face.

He gave her his blinding smile. "Not quite as long as you've been waiting, my dear. But far too long."

She squeezed his butt in retaliation, making him chuckle. "You know I hate to be kept waiting."

"But you're so sexy when you're annoyed," he said, grinding himself against her.

She couldn't suppress a moan, and kissed him so he'd stop talking.

mmm

Lisbon lay back, panting, and thought about trying to get under the covers before she got cold. But her body was limp and sated and not in the mood for further movement at the moment. God, she didn't remember sex being like this. But that was probably a good thing or she'd never have been able to go so long without it.

Jane grabbed the edge of the bedspread and pulled it over him as he settled himself against her, wrapping them in a little cocoon. She hummed in contentment, then said, "If that was you without your mojo, God help me when you get it back."

Jane chuckled, feathering his lips along her neck. "I'm beginning to think you are my mojo, my dear." His fingers stroked idly across her stomach. "I've known for some time that I'm better when I'm with you. I just hadn't considered that would also apply to the bedroom."

"Mm. Well, don't get too comfortable. You're in Bear's spot."

He tickled her in retaliation, and she let out a shriek and shoved at him until he stopped. "So what you're saying is I'm just a substitute for your dog?"

"No. You'd make a rotten dog. You never come when you're called," she yawned.

Jane chuckled, his nimble fingers moving to her breast. "From now on, I will make every effort to ensure that when you call me, we both come."

She snorted and gave him a lazy swat. "Sleep, Jane. Some of us need it to function."

"You were functioning just fine a minute ago."

"Are you going to turn everything into an innuendo now?" she asked.

"Mm, yes, I think so. Work will be so much more amusing that way."

"Until Cho decides to staple your mouth shut," she pointed out.

"Cho won't mind. He'll be happy for us. Well, mostly for you. But he'll leave me alone as long as I make you happy."

Lisbon was afraid to point out that he sounded like his old self. "Abbott won't like it," she said experimentally.

Jane yawned, then kissed her shoulder. "He doesn't care what we do. We're just consultants, after all. He'll probably give you a pat on the back for getting me back on track."

"Fischer will report you for sexual harassment."

Jane snorted. "She only wishes I'd sexually harass her. She'll be jealous of you, though. But don't worry. I won't let her sabotage you."

"My hero," she said dryly. But she was secretly thrilled to hear him dissect people again. It seemed her efforts to get his head back in the game were paying off. "Save me from the big bad FBI agent."

He hummed against her and peppered kisses along her jaw. "It's my turn," he murmured. "You saved me so many times. In so many ways. Over and over again. Nobody will ever hurt you again if I can help it. Including me."

She rolled onto her side and pressed herself against him, kissing him thoroughly. He responded languidly, hands roving along her skin, for several minutes before pulling away to say, "Have a heart, woman. I'm pushing fifty. You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Well," she said after nibbling on his earlobe, "if you went out on medical disability, we could go home. I could have my nice quiet job back, and you and Bear could go for long walks in the woods."

"Heart attack it is," he said quickly, rolling her onto her back.

mmm

The next day, Jane solved the case before Abbott even made it to the office. Cho smirked as he watched Jane take apart the smarmy chief of security who'd given Lisbon the creeps all along, then winked at her. Winked at her. She wondered for a moment if she'd fallen through a wormhole and ended up back in high school. Then she wondered if she was overreacting. Maybe Cho was congratulating her on getting Jane back in playing form, not on getting him into bed.

When Abbott arrived and heard what had happened, he was smug rather than surprised. "Nice work, Lisbon."

"Excuse me?" Jane said indignantly. "I was the one who solved the case. Despite the fact that industrial espionage is not nearly as interesting as murder."

Cho said, "It is when it's a defense contractor."

Abbott said, "Nice work, Jane. About time you earned your keep. Found that mojo of yours at last?"

"It was hiding in plain sight," Jane grinned, glancing to where Lisbon stood on Abbott's other side. "And now you must congratulate Agent Fischer for surviving her first case with me."

Abbott did so, then began asking Jane questions about how he'd come to his conclusions. Cho leaned toward Lisbon and said, "So you're staying."

She looked at him in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

"Look at him." He nodded toward Jane. "If he had a tail, he'd be wagging it."

"He solved the case. That always made him happy."

"No," Cho said, "it usually made him smug. Besides, he's not watching you like a hen with one chick anymore. Which means you told him you'll stay. That was all he needed, huh?"

"Apparently." Though she wasn't his boss anymore—in fact it was the other way around since he was an agent and she wasn't—she was glad she didn't have to confess to sleeping with Jane. It was still too new to share.

"I'm glad to be working with you again," Cho said.

"Me too." She smiled at him. This life had a lot to recommend it, but having Cho at her back was definitely near the top of the list. It was almost enough to make up for losing her snug little house in the woods and the friends she'd made there.

"Don't look sad, Lisbon," Jane said, moving to her side and sliding an arm around her waist. "I'm sure a more interesting case will come along shortly."

"I'm sure it will," she agreed. "And I don't even have to do the paperwork on this one." Another big plus to being a consultant. But she missed her badge—or would as soon as she resigned from her real job. That was going to be hard, she realized.

Jane gave her a squeeze and said, "Celebratory coffees are on me. Cho? Fischer? Abbott?"

Abbott shook his head, coming over to Lisbon as Jane took the other agents' orders. "Still not your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Still not your business," she replied pleasantly.

mmm

No new case came their way, so they spent the afternoon reviewing unsolved case files and left promptly at five, hurrying to the doggy daycare. Bear was delighted to see them, jumping and barking and wagging for all he was worth. Lisbon ended up letting Jane drive so she could sit in the back seat with the dog and keep him from barging around the car.

"Will you go out to dinner with me tomorrow?" Jane asked as he drove.

"Sure. But why?" She glanced at the rear view mirror, but Jane didn't meet her gaze.

"You complained we weren't dating. So I'm taking you on a date." He used his turn signal, she noticed, which was a nice holdover from his earlier frantic attempts to please her.

"It wasn't a complaint, exactly," she said.

"I know. But the point stands. Let me take you to the best steakhouse in town."

He sounded so earnest she didn't have the heart to refuse. Besides, a steak sounded good. "Okay. I don't have to dress up, do I?"

Jane chuckled. "No, my dear. And we'll bring home a nice doggy bag for Bear."

Hearing his name, Bear lunged for the front seat, intent on wriggling his way into Jane's lap. Lisbon hauled him back to her. "You're a bad influence on my dog."

Jane was silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "If I buy us a house with a yard, can he be our dog instead of just your dog?"

"I think he already is." Lisbon was glad they got along, but she was also a tiny bit jealous. Several times in the past week she'd noted that Jane seemed most truly himself when he was playing with Bear. Of course, that was before she'd seen Jane in the throes of orgasm. And Bear liked everybody, but he loved Jane. Animals usually did, though.

"Now that you've agreed to stay, we can convince the FBI to unfreeze my assets," Jane continued. "Then I can sell the Malibu house and buy us one here. And I want my Citroen back."

"I guess I better put my house up for sale too," Lisbon said. Maybe her replacement would want it; the housing market there was pretty dismal so that was her only hope of a quick sale.

"There's no need," Jane replied. "I was hoping we could hang onto it. It could be our vacation house. We could retire there."

"Really?"

"I liked it there. It was peaceful, and the people were nice. Although I still have concerns about the wildlife. You never have told me the story about Bear and the bear."

Lisbon held onto Bear to keep him in the back seat. "There's not much to tell. We were out hiking when we saw this huge black bear. As a puppy, Bear had kind of a Napoleon complex, and I didn't have him on a leash, so he went after him and started barking. I had my handgun, but of course all I could really do with that is piss the bear off more. Fortunately, it didn't have any cubs with it, and it decided it didn't want any trouble. I managed to call Bear back to me and the black bear wandered off. I started calling my puppy Bear after that, because he thought he was just as fierce and tough as that old black bear." She rubbed Bear's side affectionately. "And I made sure to keep him on a leash and carry a rifle when we went hiking from then on."

Jane let out a breath. "What was his name before?"

"I'd been trying different ones. During his digging in the trash phase, I called him Jane for a while. It was just what naturally came out of my mouth when I was scolding him."

Jane laughed. "Naturally. I'm glad that didn't stick, or Bear and I would both be really confused!"

"Mostly I called him silly names like Sweetie or Lovebug. But Bear stuck."

"And rightly so. Now, tell me why you have him check the office before you go in." Jane parked the car and turned in his seat. Bear immediately began licking his face.

"Oh, that." Lisbon felt her face heat up. "A raccoon built a den in the crawl space under the station. One night it got in the station itself. I hadn't brought Bear with me that day, and I nearly had a heart attack when it scurried across the floor in front of me. So now I just let him check first to see if we had overnight visitors. We have skunks and nutria around there too."

"My city girl had some culture shock, didn't she?" Jane grinned. Then he got out of the car and opened the back door. He was nearly flattened as Bear launched himself at him, making Lisbon laugh as she got out the other side.

They went into the apartment, and Jane started dinner while Lisbon and Bear snuggled on the couch. After a while, she heard him open a bottle of wine, and a few seconds later he brought her a glass matching his own. "A toast," he announced. "To our first case for the FBI."

"To getting your mojo back," she added as they clinked their glasses together. They drank a sip, then set their glasses on the coffee table. Jane slid an arm around Lisbon's shoulders and leaned in for a kiss, which she welcomed, lifting one hand to sift through his curls.

When the oven timer went off, Jane groaned and pulled away, grabbing his wine glass and taking a sip before getting up and heading for the kitchen.

They played footsie at the table during dinner, which made her giggle like a girl. She had always adored Jane's playful side, especially now when he seemed so much lighter, finally free of everything he'd been carrying around. The mood continued as they cleaned up afterward, and then as they took Bear for his evening walk, hand in hand.

She didn't remember holding hands being like this. What was it about Jane that made everything so intense? Or was it just her own feelings that made it seem more vivid?

"Tell me what you're thinking," Jane requested as they left the park and started home.

"You can't tell?" she challenged.

"I like to hear you say it," he replied.

That was a deflection, but she let it pass because deflection was one of his old tricks, and he probably needed to get it back. "I don't remember feeling this way before," she said.

Jane hummed thoughtfully. "Wish fulfillment is a powerful thing."

"It has to wear off sometime," she said after a while.

"Maybe. The intensity of our feelings might fade a little, but I think they'll always be there. I'm not worried we'll fall out of love, if that's what you're getting at. I'm just so damn grateful to be back with you. I can't imagine ever looking at you with anything less than unqualified adoration."

"I'm pretty sure there'll be at least a few times when it's mostly annoyance you're looking at me with," she replied.

"But I will still be adoring you underneath it," he promised. "Just like you were still loving me through all the times you were furious with me."

She sighed. "It's just...it feels like a big risk, looking at it objectively. If a friend of mine wanted to leave behind her whole life to go be with a guy who had spent most of the last decade taking her for granted or just plain not being around at all, I'd tell her she was nuts and to walk the other way and not look back."

Jane stopped walking and turned to face her as she did the same. Fortunately Bear found an interesting tree to sniff, so he didn't protest the stop.

"I will buy you a house. I'll buy you a ring. I'll do whatever you need to make this feel like a safe bet," he said, his voice low and intense. "I'll marry you tomorrow. I know our past doesn't have a lot of great precedents, but I always tried to protect you. I never wanted to hurt you. Lisbon." His voice cracked. "I'm alive because of you. I almost ended it, that day in the park. But I didn't because I knew what it would do to you. I went on living for you, to prove to you that everything you'd done for me wasn't a waste. I am literally living for you."

Tears swam in her eyes, and she swallowed down a sob as she went into his arms. She'd always been terrified he would choose not to outlive his quest. She'd never been so relieved as when Abbott finally let her listen to her voicemail. But she had assumed he had decided that to kill himself would be giving too much importance to Red John, like saying his life had only been important because of the serial killer. She'd been proud of him, even as she grieved the likelihood that she would never see him again. It had never crossed her mind that he had done it to spare her a greater grief.

"I loved you all along, Teresa. There was just so much in the way. But there's nothing in the way now, and I won't let anything interfere with us again. You have nothing to worry about. You're my priority, now and for the rest of my life."

She dimly recalled Jane telling her that people were helpless against their deepest desires, that the best way to bait a trap was to offer it to them. Well, she was truly trapped now, because he was offering her what she wanted most, and there was no way she could turn it down.

"Can I have that in writing?" she whispered.

Jane chuckled. "Yes, my dear. We can have it notarized if you want."

Bear finished his investigation and came over to them, curious about what they were doing. When they didn't acknowledge him, he whined. Lisbon freed a hand to pet him, leaning against Jane and trying to find her emotional equilibrium again.

"Let's go home. I want to make love to you in my bed tonight," Jane murmured in her ear, making her shiver with anticipation.

mmm

Bear was confused when the established bedtime ritual didn't occur. He trotted into the guest room as usual, but Lisbon was busy being kissed to within an inch of her life in the doorway of the master bedroom. It took the dog some time to realize that she wasn't going to join him and go in search of her, by which time Lisbon and Jane were naked and reaching a mutual decision to skip any more foreplay.

Lisbon let out an ecstatic moan as Jane slid into her and set up a deliciously fast rhythm. The bed was moving so much that she didn't realize Bear had jumped up to join them until Jane let out a startled yelp and lost his rhythm.

"What?" she gasped out.

"Your dog stuck his nose into my ass!" Jane said indignantly.

Lisbon couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, unable to stop even when Jane started moving again. Bear came up to see what she was doing and tried to lick her face, only to have Jane push him away. "I was kissing that," he grunted at the dog. "Only one of us gets to slobber on her at a time, buddy."

Lisbon was seized by another fit of giggles, but she managed to say, "Bear, lie down."

"A yard. A big yard he can amuse himself in while we're making love," Jane panted. "Is he always like this?"

"No idea. This is all new for him," she replied, shifting her legs higher up on his back. "Mm, right there."

Jane groaned and bent down to kiss her before speeding up, making her cry out. Bear whined.

"It's okay, boy," Lisbon managed to push out. "Stay."

Fortunately, Bear managed to contain himself until Lisbon climaxed, her voice echoing off the walls and bringing the dog to his feet. She flopped out an arm in his direction to keep him from interfering with Jane's orgasm, which followed almost immediately. He collapsed on top of her, then rolled off toward the edge of the bed. Bear instantly moved closer to Lisbon, leaning against her as he stretched along her side and licked tentatively at her shoulder.

"Good boy," she panted.

"Thanks," Jane mumbled, making her laugh again. He raised his head and continued, "I have to get you naked and laughing more often. The jiggling is lovely."

"Oh, shut up," she grinned. "You just traumatized my poor dog."

"Nonsense." Jane reached across her to rub Bear's ears, making him wiggle in ecstasy and lay his chin on her shoulder to look at Jane. "Now listen, Bear. I know she's the alpha and you want to be close to her and protect her. I get that. But she's my mate, so I get first dibs. Got it?"

Bear wagged his tail, happy to have their attention again. Lisbon said, "Are you seriously negotiating with my dog?"

"Just explaining the pack dynamics. He's a bright boy. He'll get it."

"Oh, we're a pack now?"

He grinned. "Sure. Don't worry; you're definitely the alpha."

"And your mate, apparently. Are you going to start wearing a leopard skin loincloth or something?"

Jane chuckled. "I can if you want. I think it might come in handy distracting suspects, now that you mention it." He kissed her, then said, "But I am your mate. Just like you're mine. Don't try to tell me you don't recognize how primal this feels."

She was absolutely positive she'd never had a post-coital conversation like this. "I guess that's as good a word as any." She snuggled into him, and Bear adjusted his position on her other side. She smiled at the thought that she was sandwiched between her two favorite blonds.

"It is. This is right. This is what we're meant to be. It's healing." He nuzzled her hair. "I was lost, but now I know who I am. I'm your mate. I'm part of your pack. I belong."

"Yes, you do," she whispered, touched. He was right, she realized. She'd wanted a place to belong, too. And she'd found it. "Welcome home."

He kissed her cheek. "Thank you. And welcome home to you, too."

She turned her head to kiss him properly and was just wondering if Jane had a Round 2 in him tonight when Bear let out a tremendous sneeze, shattering the mood. She turned to him and rubbed his head, murmuring, "Bless you, poor baby." His tail thumped against her leg.

Jane let out a groan and rolled out of bed. "Come on. Let's get under the covers and get some sleep. Move, you two."

It took some time and grumbling, but eventually the two humans were snuggled under the covers with Bear on top of them alongside Lisbon.

"A big yard," Lisbon yawned. "So Bear can have a mate too."

"That," Jane said, kissing her temple, "is a brilliant idea. I'll hire a real estate agent tomorrow."


End file.
